Half-orc brother and half-elf sister?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Which is why I pointed out I was using simple Mendelian genetics, which assumes that the trait in question is not determined by mutliple genes. Much simpler, and easier to predict what happens in the second generation of hybridization. (Half-Orcs & Half-Elves being first generation hybrids).

But, since we're talking about speciation, not race (which is technically, sub-speciation), it would most closely resemble cross-breeding animals like canines, felines, cetaceans or equines.

http://www.geocities.com/zedonknzorse/basics.html

Unfortunately, I couldn't find much statistical data on second generation hybridization, since MOST (not all) hybrids are sterile. However, those 2nd generation hybrids I could find tended to mix the gene-pool further, not revert, suggesting that speciation depends on only a few changes, and the percentages would tend to resemble those that Mendel predicted.

Example: Lions and Tigers can crossbreed, creating Tigons and Ligers. Crossing female tigons and ligers with male tigers and Lions can produce Li-tigons Li-Ligers Ti-tigons Ti-ligers...

http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about98-0-asc-48.html

Note- you can still use a Mendelian box for multiple genes...
Capital letter = dominant gene, lowercase = recessive gene

__H__h__O__o
H HH Hh HO Ho

h hH hh hO ho

E EH Eh EO Eo

e eH eh eO eo

Human = HH, hH, Hh, or hh
Half-Elf = EH, eH, Eh, or eh; eH looks more human, Eh looks more elvish
Half-Orc = HO, hO, Ho or ho; oH looks more human, Oh looks more orcish
Orc-Elf = EO, eO, Eo or eo; eO looks more orcish, Eo looks more elvish

Note that percentages come out 25% each, with hybrids occurring 75% of the time.

Note also that this has NOTHING to do with whether the hybrids are actually carried to term or live to adulthood.

A skew towards humans may occur since, as the bio-link points out, hybrids tend NOT to survive to term.

 

[Klaus]

Back on the topic of the siblings' relationship, I'd do a mix.

Both constantly tease and get on each others' nerves, with jokes, innuendos, chop-busting and all that. But in truth they are devoted to each other, and they know with all certainty that when push comes to shove, they can only count on each other.

It's a fantasy buddy cop movie!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Random thoughts:

You might want to avoid the obvious Half-Orc Big bruiser guy and Half-Elf as little sister trope and reverse the genders to have Big Sis looking out for her Lil' Bro.

I like both the "wild oats" and step-siblings ideas as well.

Multiamorous relationship?

Desert Island scenario with daddy as the only fertile male?

Creepy Option: The kids are both the offspring of a particular pimp from his "stable."

Creepy Option II: As above, but the children have the same mother with different fathers.

 

[Maraxle]

A harsh orcish stepmother would give a frail and pretty young half-elf quite an inferiority complex. Enough of a complex, even, to train harder than anyone has ever trained before, making herself into a very powerful, highly technically skilled warrior, albeit with some insecurities. Her half brother, however, would have slid through life, lacking discipline and relying on brute strength alone. He would probably be too lazy to have taken notice that his "little" sister is much stronger than him, and is actually the one constantly bailing him out of trouble.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Why can't it be that Dad is a charming lech and is willing to anything with the appropriate gender?

That's no way to talk about Elminster!

 

[RandomPrecision]

Hey, the Orcelf is a natural possibility of a union between Half-Orc and Half-Elf. Of course, it COULD just be stillborn automatically as the genetic material engages in racial war at a cellular level...

It's unfortunate that this is coming up again. I again call your attention to the fact that this means two half-elves only have half-elf children 50% of the time, and the other 50% is evenly split between full-blooded humans and full-blooded elves.

If a man is half English and half German, and his wife is half English and half Irish, that doesn't mean that a quarter of their children will be English, another quarter half English and half German, another half English and half Irish, and the last half Irish and half German. Mendel also described the law of segregation, which implies that alleles separate independently of one another. Of course, we shouldn't use every aspect of modern science and genetics to figure out what would happen in this case, but it's an unreasonable misquotation of science to say that a half-orc and half-elf have 25% human children, 25% half-elf, 25% half-orc, and 25% orc/elf children.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's unfortunate that this is coming up again. I again call your attention to the fact that this means two half-elves only have half-elf children 50% of the time, and the other 50% is evenly split between full-blooded humans and full-blooded elves.

Yes, what is your point? Half-Elves are NOT a species, they are a Hybrid of 2 species. Species breed true. Hyrbrids don't. You'd expect to see 25% Humans, 25% Elves, 50% Half-Elves.

I used to keep tropical fish. Among them, I'd keep Swordtails and Platys, 2 closely related livebearers that breed freely in aquarium envrionments. The hybrids (when they weren't sterile), produced Swords, Platys and 2nd generation hybrids.

If a man is half English and half German, and his wife is half English and half Irish, that doesn't mean that a quarter of their children will be English, another quarter half English and half German, another half English and half Irish, and the last half Irish and half German.

Though we speak like that occasionally, nationality isn't determined by genetics.

Of course, we shouldn't use every aspect of modern science and genetics to figure out what would happen in this case, but it's an unreasonable misquotation of science to say that a half-orc and half-elf have 25% human children, 25% half-elf, 25% half-orc, and 25% orc/elf children.

Nope, not at all.

Perhaps the best illustration of something like this is a genetic disease like Tay-Sachs or Sickle Cell anemia.

In both cases, you are only afflicted by the disease if you are the child of two parents who are carriers because to have the disease requires the child have 2 recessive genes...and persons with Tay-Sachs or Sickle Cell rarely make it to adulthood.

2 carriers of Tay-Sachs have a 25% chance of having a child without the recessive gene, a 50% chance of having a child with a single recessive gene (thus making the child a carrier), and a 25% chance of producing a double-recessive child...a Tay-Sachs victim.

Inheritance from two carrier parents odds: 25% disease, 50% chance carrier, 25% neither for autosomal recessive diseases.
from Tay-Sachs site

The same numbers show up for Sickle cell.

Inheritance from two carrier parents odds: 25% disease, 50% chance carrier, 25% neither for autosomal recessive diseases.
Sickle Cell site

Mendel wasn't 100% right, but he wasn't 100% wrong, either.

 

[Mercule]

Imagine the trauma of an elf re-incarnated as an orc. Less lifespan, ostracisation etc. Then add a child as an eternal reminder...

The other direction would be no better. Put in a "soft" body, have to put up with it forever, and even a death in combat wouldn't be glorious because the body would break too easy. Oh, and then knowing you may live long enough to see your orcish scions run to an end or diluted to the point of being orcish no more.

 

[Sejs]

Why can't it be that Dad is a charming lech and is willing to anything with the appropriate gender?

Wait a minute, why can't it be that Dad was is a charming lich and it willing to anything with the appropriate gender, using polymorph to get the job done?

The lich lech!

 

[Uzumaki]

a "fey-orc?"

A forc?